Revelations After The Chunin Exam
by HandheldIbanez
Summary: Naruto Uzumaki was a young ninja.He was despised by everyone in his village for no apparent reason. But maybe there was someone who didn't despise him...
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Today was a special day for rookie ninja, Naruto Uzumaki. Kakashi Sensei had chosen him, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, to take part in the Chunin Exams.  
He had already passed the written exam and the preliminaries, and he was anxious to move on to the next part. But in that short time span known as a few hours ago, Naruto realized something. Not everyone in the village had despised him. In fact, the one person he never really noticed was his friend the whole time. _She even offered her paper to me to cheat off of. _Naruto thought. _At first I thought it was a dumb trick to get me kicked out, but I realized that there was no way Hinata would do that to anyone. _Naruto continued to evaluate the day's events silently in his head. _I can't believe I never really noticed her before. She was so weird, but now that I think about it, she's just really shy. _Naruto had liked Sakura for a while now, but he was still naïve in the ways of love. _There is no way I love Sakura. As much as I hate to admit it to myself, she's nothing but a lousy attempt at proving everyone wrong. Sakura is beautiful and all, but she's not as nice as Hinata. Believe it!_

But then Naruto shook his head to clear it. "What am I thinking?! Not in love with Sakura? Of course I am! I could never go for someone as weird as Hinata, right? I mean, she's always so quiet…and…" Naruto fell back down on his bed. _Aw, who am I kidding? Sakura treats me just as bad as Sasuke does! Everyone in the village treats me like I'm nothing, Except for Iruka Sensei and Kakashi Sensei, of course. Oh, and old man Hokage. And I suppose Konohamaru and his friends do too. But Hinata…she always looks at me weird, and talks all cute when I'm around. And her face turns red and all I do is ignore her. Hey wait a minute..._"I'm a jerk!" Naruto shot up and put on his headband, ready to go find his problem and solve it."I've been too focused on Sakura to even notice Hinata! But Hinata has been so nice to me this whole time!" Naruto opened his window and jumped out into the night, being careful to avoid detection. _I'm gonna let Hinata know that I finally understand her. Believe it!_

And with that, Naruto dashed through the streets of the Hidden Leaf village. He saw a group of people up ahead, and decided to avoid them. But he spotted Shikamaru just in time and got a big grin on his face."I know, I'll ask lazy Shikamaru where Hinata lives!" So Naruto sped over to Shikamaru and pulled him into the shadows."What? Naruto!" Shikamaru pulled away from Naruto and put his hands in his pockets."What are you doing?!" Naruto just grinned. "Hey, Shikamaru, what's up? I was just wondering where Hinata lived, no big deal."  
Shikamaru sighed and rubbed his head,"Hinata? She lives farther away from here. In the Hyuga estate. Why?"Shikamaru looked at Naruto like he was crazy."Uh…no reason. Catch ya later, Shikamaru!" Naruto dodged the question and disappeared into the night. 

"What a drag. Naruto is so weird." Shikamaru just put his hands back in his pockets and went home, taking this opportunity to ditch the crowd. Meanwhile, Naruto was on top of a nearby building, searching the premise for Hinata. He squinted his eyes and put a hand to his forehead. "Where could she be?"Naruto wondered aloud. Surprisingly, he spotted her within five minutes, heading out of a store with an arm full of grocery bags. Now that he had seen her, he was a little more worried about what he would say to her. _What do I say? _Naruto wondered.

Being rash as usual, Naruto just went for it and jumped down to the street below. Not even bothering to be silent about his approach, Naruto went up to Hinata with a big grin on his face and said,"What's up, Hinata?"She jumped in surprise at suddenly seeing Naruto in front of her.  
She instantly became red in the face and put her head down."Oh. Hello Naruto. What brings you here?"Hinata said in a really quiet voice, trying not to faint and ruin the whole moment.

"Oh, you know, I was just out training and I saw you walking home and I…uh…decided to help you carry your bags! Yeah, that's it, believe it!"Naruto finished with a triumphant grin and placed his hands behind his head. Hinata's eyes widened in surprise."Y-you want to help m-me?"She asked with a stutter."Uh… yeah! Let me take a few of those bags."Hinata handed them over to Naruto. Her hand grazed over his slightly, and she squeaked quietly, her blush becoming more visible. Naruto wasn't ignorant to his hand touching hers. In fact, he was blushing a little too.

_I have got to get out of here! _Naruto thought. _She is making my blood boil and my stomach turn. What's happening to me? _On the outside, Naruto was a statue. He was frozen by his contact with Hinata. _It's just a hand! Hold on, maybe she's using her Hyuga powers on me! No… Hinata's not like that. Well, maybe I'm sick or something. Either way, I can't just leave her here to carry all these bags._"Hinata, a-are you doing anything…l-later?"Naruto said with a blush.

Hinata nearly fainted. _Is Naruto asking me out? _She stared at him with her silver eyes. Her eyes were wide, but searching. And the blush on her and Naruto's cheeks, were in full bloom."Naruto…are _you, _asking _me_, out?"Hinata had no idea how she said that without stuttering, but she somehow got very bold all of a sudden. Well, bold for a girl like Hinata. "Um…well…I…uh…I…yeah, I guess I am…"He answered nervously. _C'mon Naruto! Get it in gear! _Hinata shifted her weight foot-to-foot, pressing her fingers together nervously.

"I'm not doing anything later…well, I don't think I am…"She said quietly. Naruto suddenly became very wise. In retrospect, he couldn't say how it happened. Maybe it was her timid and shy attitude, or the way she was so quiet when she talked. Or maybe it was how she showed her potential around him. The way she acted around him. Naruto was in awe."That's good news! After we drop off these bags, I'll take you for a night on the town! Just you and me."As high spirited as Naruto was, he was still nervous. And embarrassed that he was asking a girl out. And surprised that it wasn't Sakura. _For the longest time, I thought Sakura was the one I liked. But just now, I realized that I was wrong. _So with his new found discovery, Naruto hoisted the bags up onto one arm, and grabbed Hinata's hand with the other, and took off down the street.


	2. Ch2:The Walk Home

Alright! Chapter 2!  
For anyone who read chapter 1, thanks a bunch. This is my first fanfic, and I hope it doesn't disappoint. I was very happy to see reviews, and I hope I get some more(:  
There's a lot I can improve upon, so just say the word and I'll see what I can do:D  
Enjoy!

Chapter 2

Hinata was blushing like crazy._ Naruto is holding my hand, and he asked me out on a date, and I could just fall over from happiness!_ She bit her bottom lip in happiness. But why was Naruto showing an interest in her all of a sudden? That didn't matter right now. All that matters is right now. And she was happy Naruto was with her. As shy as she was, Hinata constantly fantasized about being with Naruto. About him confessing his love to her, and holding her in his arms. Hinata's eyes drifted up to look at Naruto. He was talking about all of the different flavors of ramen, and he kept glancing down at their clasped hands._ I wonder if she minds that I grabbed her hand._ Naruto thought.

Hinata, of course, did not mind. She was in ecstasy. Lost in a daze, she ran right into Naruto's back. _Ohmygosh, he is so warm._ Hinata thought when she gripped onto his signature orange jumpsuit._ And he smells so good!_ Naruto turned around and picked Hinata up from where she bumped into him. He held onto her a bit longer, breathing in her scent._ She smells like vanilla and strawberries. I hope my mouth isn't watering._"Hinata, are you alright?"Naruto asked the fallen girl. He helped her up off of her feet, and couldn't help but glance at her hair, wondering if that is what he was smelling.

She nodded, not trusting her voice to keep steady."We're here."Naruto said."What were you doing carrying all these bags anyway?"Her eyes went to the ground."I needed to get out for awhile. Being a part of the main branch, I'm not usually allowed out this late. But I volunteered to go to the store for my father, and he let me go."Naruto had a puzzled expression on his face."But why did you need to get out?"Naruto asked, curiously.  
Hinata blushed strongly at the question, and Naruto looked even more puzzled.

"It would be embarrassing for me to tell you."Hinata squeaked out. To his surprise, Naruto did something completely out of character. He didn't blurt out the first thing that came to mind. He thought it over.

"Hinata," He began with a pensive look."How about, if I tell you something embarrassing about me, then you'll feel more comfortable telling me what's embarrassing you?"He finished the sentence with such a trusting look into her eyes, that she felt her knees go weak. Her legs threatened to collapse, and that gaze was the only thing keeping her from fainting. _Naruto, trusting _me _with an embarrassing part of himself? And being so trusting with _me? Pulling her arms towards her chest and putting her finger to her lips, she nodded. With that silent confirmation of his suggestion, Naruto broke out into a grin.  
But then his grin faded, as he remembered what he was going to tell her.

_Don't chicken out now, Naruto._"Well, you know, before I became a Gemini was quite the trouble maker. And one of the pranks I played on the guys in the village was my, um…sexy jutsu…"Hinata looked at Naruto in surprised. Shocked that he would ever use the word 'sexy', or even that he had a jutsu named after it.

"What is 's-sexy j-jutsu, Naruto?"She squeaked, being even more quiet than usual (Especially when saying 'sexy'.)Naruto looked away, and tried not to focus on her lips when she said 'sexy'. He was blushing a deep crimson, and he just sighed when he saw Hinata's cute and innocent face._ I might as well show her._ And with that, he performed his very own jutsu. The sexy jutsu, Hinata let out a high pitched "eep" at the sight of the naked girl who resembled Naruto. She turned red in the face and didn't know where to look. _Oh no, I shouldn't have asked. He's naked, I mean, she's naked, and we're in front of my house, and I don't know what to do._ So she fainted.

And Naruto knew why. _Crap, crap, crap! She's gonna hate me when she wakes up! Why did I have to tell her about sexy jutsu, why couldn't I have told her about my horrible grades or something._ He transformed back into himself and knelt down next to Hinata to make sure she was alright."Whew, she's not hurt. Maybe I should take her into her house. Yeah, that's it!"But he wasn't using his head completely, and he hoisted her onto his back without knowing._ She's so warm. And she smells better than a flower. And her…are on my…Crap…_Naruto blushed so hard, he looked like a tomato. He shifted her weight on his back and felt the smoothness of her legs through her pants. And all of a sudden, he felt very weird. His stomach was churning and…down below, too.  
And he started imagining her. He remembered how soft her skin was when they were holding hands. And how warm she was when she bumped into him. And how she looked in her kunoichi outfit. He was burning up. Inside and out._ Then why do I have to pee? _He thought."No time for that. I have to get Hinata home."So he picked up her bags, and took off to her house.

It didn't seem like anyone was home, which was odd, so he just left the bags at the door and started walking to his house. He thought he saw someone at the window, but it must have been his imagination. He felt Hinata stir on his back, and he turned his head to look at her. His eyes widened in surprise and he felt his palms get all sweaty. _She's so beautiful when she's sleeping. Or passed out. Same difference! But she looks so peaceful, and the pale smoothness of her face is complimented by the contrast of her pink lips._ Naruto blushed at his next thought._ I wonder what it would be like to kiss her. _  
"No, no, no! That would be wrong! I can't kiss a girl while she's sleeping! Hinata might hate me more than she probably already does."While he was lost in his thoughts, he failed to notice that Hinata was coming to. She slowly opened her eyes, and was instantly hit with the smell and warmth of her long-time crush, Naruto. _What happened? Did I feint again?_

She came to just in time to hear Naruto say she might hate him."No, no! I don't hate you Naruto! I could never hate you! I…um…admire you!"_That was close._ Hinata thought._ I want to tell Naruto how I feel, but I don't think he feels the same way. _Naruto jumped at the sound of Hinata's voice."H-Hinata! I didn't know you were awake!"He fell over and Hinata fell directly on top of him. Naruto let out an "oof", and looked up into Hinata's eyes. Her mouth was slightly open, and the blush on her cheek was very noticeable.

Naruto didn't know what to do. Hinata was cushioned in between his legs and his body was growing hot._ I should move, run, anything! But I don't want to get up, or tell her to move, because I don't _want _her to move._ Naruto felt a jolt go through his spine when he thought that. And he knew that Hinata meant more to him than he thought.  
"Hinata, I…"But as soon as he opened his mouth, Hinata went to stand up, saying,"I'm so sorry, Naruto! I should have moved."But before she could stand up, Naruto grabbed her hand and pulled her down on top of him. Hinata let out a surprised squeak and looked at Naruto, embarrassed. But Naruto was through denying his developing feelings and running away from Hinata. So he looked into her eyes with determination and that trademark Uzumaki smile, and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Hinata, I have something I want to tell you .No. I _need _to tell you."


	3. Ch3:The Confession

Naruto was at a loss. He didn't know how to say what he wanted to say. Hell, he doubted his tongue would work right even if he did know what to say. _Man, this is just my luck. Since when did Hinata become so cute?_ While Naruto was in his awkward mental state, Hinata was watching him intently._ What is he thinking?_ She wondered._ He said he had something he needed to tell me, but then he went silent. Oh, I hope he's not going to reject me. _Naruto had a pensive look on his face. But just because he was lost in thought doesn't mean that he wasn't aware of his surroundings. He was aware all right.

Aware of Hinata biting her bottom lip, and staring deep into space with the cutest look imaginable written on her face."Hinata?"Naruto asked with a soft voice."Hmm? Oh! Yes, Naruto?"She blushed a little at being caught off guard. Naruto took a deep breath."Before I tell you, can I ask you a question first?"_Ask me anything, Naruto!_  
"S-sure, Naruto."She squeaked out, her thoughts boiling over like a heated pot.  
"Do you remember when you were five?"_Wait..what?Is that really what he wanted to ask me?_"Um…yeah, I think I do."_I didn't expect that question. _Hinata thought.

Naruto was hoping it would click soon, because he didn't know how to explain himself unless she remembered what happened when they were five. Hinata gave it some thought, and suddenly remembered what he was implying._ But…but…how?_ She stopped her train of thought and decided to just ask him."Naruto, are you talking about when you saved me from those bullies?"_So she does remember!_ Naruto thought, excitedly.  
_I almost forgot. It was so long ago. But I'm glad she remembered._"Yeah, when we were little and you were getting picked on."_I remember it like yesterday._ Hinata thought.

[Flashback]  
"H-hey, give it back! Please!"A five-year old Hinata shouted."Why don't you make us, weakling!"An older boy shouted back. The older boy was a playground bully. And he and his friends were playing catch with the necklace Hinata had gotten from her late mother. Now, Naruto wasn't doing much better. He was getting chased by a few Genin jerks and he was getting tired. He saw a clearing up ahead, and a small park in the clearing. _Aha! _Naruto thought in relief._ I can finally hide in familiar territory._ Naruto may have had his own problems at the moment, but he had just noticed Hinata's.  
All he saw was a shy girl being picked on by a bunch of idiots. And he completely forget about the Genin behind him as he shouted,"Hey you! Yeah you, crapheaded jerks!"(He was five, what can I say for his vocabulary?)Now, both the Genin and the jerks picking on Hinata had focused on him, and he was jumped by both groups."You talking to us, punk? Cause' if you are, I'm gonna beat the shit out of you!"Hinata could only watch in horror, as they made good on their threat. But Naruto wasn't done. He stood up defiantly, and put his hands into a sign. _Well, I've done enough "training", and I'm almost positive that older boys and men have a stupid weakness to this jutsu. It's not like I can beat them with sheer force. Not if I want that little girl to be safe._"Sexy Jutsu!"He yelled, while letting his chakra flow into his body, combined with the hand sign.

Now, I'm sure Hinata was long passed out from grief, so she missed this little show (Hence her surprise later on.)The boys weren't so lucky. And as you would imagine, their noses were all a part of their bad luck. As in, blood shot out like a waterfall. And they took a dirt nap, mumbling incoherent words that sounded a lot like, "He got so hot all of a sudden!" and, "I need a corndog."Yeah, corndogs…

Naruto smiled victoriously and grinned a famous Uzumaki grin, all the while forgetting his lumps and bruises. But when his victory mood faded, he remembered the girl._ I should see if she's alright. _He saw something shine in the dust and picked it up. It was a golden necklace, simple, but with a fox crest engraved into a hanging ruby._ It's beautiful. It has to be the girl's. It seems to fit. But it reminds me of that sinking feeling I get sometimes._ Naruto walked over to the little girl and knelt down next to her unmoving form. _Oh crap! Was I too late? Did she get hurt? _He checked her face and arms for bruises, but found none. _Well, I think she's alright. _Naruto knew he should wake her, but he let a sad smile come to his face because he knew she would look at him in disgust when she saw him. No matter how cute or nice she looked. Even if he _did_ save her. He sighed reluctantly and shook her awake."Hey. Hey! Are you alright?"She groaned in her sleep, and her eyes cracked open slightly.

_What happened? Where am I?_ Hinata wondered. She opened her pearl eyes and scanned the land around her. Just to see Naruto holding her in his arms. She almost fainted again, but Naruto's gaze held her in consciousness."Naruto, what happened?"She asked His eyes snapped to hers when she said his name."You fainted. But how do you know my name?"He asked, tilting his head in confusion."She blushed and started stuttering."I-I uh, k-know who you a-are, because I h-heard a t-teacher say your name."She looked away and put her fingers up to her lips. Naruto felt a twist in his stomach as he watched her, but he ignored it."Oh. It must have been Iruka Sensei or something, huh?"He said with a wide grin. She smiled at his understanding."Y-yeah, but what happened to the bullies who were picking on me?"She looked around, trying to see if they had gone.

"Oh, them? I took care of them."He said with a proud smile."Here,"Naruto handed Hinata her necklace."One of the jerks had it in his hand when I beat him up. I was sure it was yours, so I took it from him."Hinata started to cry, and Naruto was at a loss at what to do."W-wait, don't cry!"He exclaimed. But she just hugged him tightly, and he was even more confused."W-why…?"She just looked at him with admiration, eyes shining bright with tears of joy."Oh thank you, Naruto! Those mean boys were picking on me, and throwing my mother's necklace around. But you beat them all up! You must be really strong."He grinned at her compliment."Got that right! I'm the strongest in the village! But I never asked your name. Who are you?"She looked him in the eye with pride, and said,"Hinata. Hinata Hyuga."She looked so darn cute with her nose in the air and her cheeks puffed out, that Naruto burst out laughing. Hinata frowned at him, crossing her arms under her chest."Don't laugh! I was just being formal, like daddy taught me."Her expression was starting to get to him. _Oh man, what's wrong with me? I've never felt this warm around a girl before._

[Flashback End]  
"Well, that's how I remember it."Naruto told Hinata. She was still lying down on top of him, trying to ignore the feeling to feint. She listened intently to his story, not noticing how warm he was getting."I see,"Hinata said quietly."But did you want to tell me before?"Unbeknownst to the other, they both blushed deeply at the question, and Naruto somehow knew what he was going to say."Yeah, that…"He started with a sigh._ This doesn't look like a good sign._ Hinata worried in her head."Ever since that day, I've been feeling a feeling for you that I haven't felt for anyone else. I tried to cover it up with Sakura, but that was stupid of me."

Hinata's eyes widened with every word he spoke. "But now I've finally accepted my feelings, and I want to share the warmth with you. The warmth that spreads from my heart and the passion I feel punching me in the gut."  
Naruto paused to gather the courage to say his next thought, and Hinata leaned in closer to hear his words.

"Hinata, I Love You."


End file.
